1993 | Betty Cook
Cook was one of the first women ever to compete seriously in Offshore racing, retiring in 1982 with 17 wins, including two World and three U.S. titles.
Cook first jumped into an Offshore race boat at 52 years old. Her first win came in December 1974 at the Long Beach, CA, driving Mongoose, a 32' Bertram boat. The 5'4" 114-pound grandmother led most of the way, averaging 67.9 mph: a new course record.
Cook continued to win, setting a kilo mark of 77.15 mph for Sport Class II boats. In 1977, Cook won the Bushmills Grand Prix in Newport, CA, the first woman ever to win a major national Offshore race. Six months later in San Francisco she led from start to finish, despite broken ribs. Cook then battled 8-foot waves to win the Key West World Championship - the first woman to win an Offshore Worlds.
In 1978, she won the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race in England, her fifth Cedar Point Grand National, and the U.S. title. Cook's final victory came at the Michelob Light New Orleans 200. The legendary racer passed away on December 21, 1990 at age 68.